Poll: Has flats fishing gotten worse over the years?

[Dhawk]

It seems to get harder and harder each year

Fewer fish
Smaller fish
More effort, time and money
Certainly more regs, etc

Still love going ...being on the water, feeling the breeze, breathing the salt air. But I'd
like to catch some fish

[Redbelly]

I know people have talked about the trout being off, I agree for awhile it was for me.

But I have been having good trips with nice fat trout lately.

[mpa_72001]

Just my opinion but I know others agree with me there are not near the big trout number wise being caught since they opened up the trout season year round.I think they need to close February again or January at least to keep those big ones from being pounded in the winter time.

[cotton]

I'm a yak guy. So my results are limited to the shallows. My numbers are up quite a bit this year for slot fish. Most trips were catching 15-18 each. Last year it was tough for slot fish. We have found slightly more trout over 24" this year. Last week was the first trip in a long time that we didn't find one. What I have noticed is a large increase in the number of boats. We don't usually find big fish when an area has been disturbed.

Since I release all of my big fish, there still out there for you to catch. This time of year around 90% of released fish will live. Instead of closing it in Feb, how about just not allowing us to keep a over 20" in Jan & Feb when the big girls are in shore.

My guess is if the temp would drop 10 degrees everyone would find fish.

[countrycorners]

We have pictures of granpa in the early 1900's with huge stringers of fish. 100 Years ago there were fewer people fishing. IMHO: fewer people, more fish; more people, fewer fish.

[Salty Gator]

We have pictures of granpa in the early 1900's with huge stringers of fish. 100 Years ago there were fewer people fishing. IMHO: fewer people, more fish; more people, fewer fish.

I recently heard an interview with Niel Young , not sure where he got his info, but stated since 1950 we have reduced the worlds fish population by 90%.

[MudDucker]

The numbers of trout and the size of trout schools has decreased by a huge amount since I was a kid and learning to fish in the late 50's and early 60's. Of course, everybody and their brother have boats now and they all seem to like to trout fish.

[Gulf Coast]

Who is Neil Young ?

[big bend gyrene]

Personal observations for whatever they're worth (and appreciate observations from ANY single source will be anecdotal)...

Shortly after I moved to the Big Bend in 2002, while fishing with fellow board member Sharkman we fished some spring days that I'm almost certain we triple-digited on trout hook ups, quickly hooking fish on almost every cast using shrimp under cajun thunders. In the same general time frame (from 2002 until about 2005) we often had double digit days with redfish while fishing from kayak / canoe out of the Hickory Mound area. Cobia were also often thick around the bird racks just outside the Econfina area, with packs of cobia between 10 to 20 in number spotted harassing bait under the bird racks. Simply share these first-hand observations to say that the fishing was pretty darn awesome then and that's not going back 50 to 100 years.

While increased pressure may have something to do with any perceived decline in the quality of fishing in the area, I think it's but one variable and others likely play a big role as well. 2004 and 2005 saw lots of hurricanes (Ivan, Charlie, Frances, Jeanne, Dennis, et...) roll through and dump massive volumes of freshwater in the bay. On the heels of the heavy hurricane years we've had a number of subsequent years with unusually heavy spring rains that also flooded the bay with fresh water, leading to grass die offs well chronicled on this site.

Only thing I'll add to the above is that back in the pre-hurricane time frame we still found that some years the bite was better on the west side of the bay while other years the bite was hotter on the east side, and I bet that pattern goes WAY back. I know it sure does with the scallop surveys. I mention the alternating pattern simply because while some board members were lamenting weak trout fishing to the east the past few years I couldn't help but notice board owner Bman posting some really rock solid reports from the west side at the very same time. Worth also noting, the bay sure seems to show some level of resiliency with the grass growth as the past year or two have found grass growing well again in areas quite barren just a few years earlier. Areas where I couldn't manage a SINGLE pinfish bite have been thick with them again the past year or two and with the bait back I bet the predators (including trout and reds) are also bouncing back to a degree.

Again, just my .02 as relates to my own observations.

[Dhawk]

My experiences have been similar.

Back in the 70,80s,90s....it was frequent that you would catch a mess of fish All kinds. You kept your limits. Frequently 50-100. I remember some days you would catch
something nearly every cast.

Now, its a rare thing it seems.

Ill keep going for sure, but expectations are diminished.

[DixieReb]

I have noticed fishing not being as good as it used to be. 20 years ago it was a lot easier to catch fish to take home. Now, it seems like you have to really work for them. When they dropped the limit to 5 fish, it seemed like they just disappeared. That's one reason I don't mind keeping a few non-trout species when I go. Macks, blues, BSB, croakers, and white trout eat well and can sometimes mean the difference between a good trip and a poor one. But here lately it does seem like the bite has been better, I think the hurricane brought a lot of salt water in with it and helped a lot. Not making light of folks having property damage, that was bad but some good might have come from the storm.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

MOST OF YOU YOUNGER MEN AND WOMEN HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TROUT , REDS, SPANISH, COBIA, TUNA, KINGFISH, SUMMER TROUT, AND MANY OTHER VARIETIES WAS LIKE 85 YRS. AGO. I FIRST WENT FISHING WITH MY UNCLE HUGH TO CEDAR KEY ABOUT 85 YEARS AGO. UNCLE HUGH MADE A CYPRESS BOAT AND SEALED IT WITH TAR BETWEEN THE BOARDS, IT DID NOT LEAK A DROP AS HE HAD FILLED IT WITH WATER AND THE BOARDS EXPANDED TO MAKE A WATER TIGHT SEAL. WE LOADED THAT OLD BOAT ON THE BUGGY AND TOOK US 2 DAYS TO GET TO CEDAR KEY FROM CLAY HILL. HUGH MADE SOME PLUGS THAT LOOKED A LOT LIKE THE MODERN DAY LUCKY 13 TOP WATER POPPING PLUG. WE MUST HAVE CAUGHT 3-400 TROUT, ENOUGH TO FILL UP THAT OLD
CYPRESS BOAT, DIDN'T HAVE ANY SMALL FISH, THEY ALL WERE 24 TO 36 INCHES LONG AND WERE FAT AS BUTTERBALLS, CAUGHT FISH ON EVERY CAST, HUGH ONLY HAD TWO RODS AND REELS, I BELIEVE THE REELS WERE AKRON BRAND AND THEY COST ABOUT $5 EACH, I DO NOT REMEMBER THE MAKE OF LINE, IT WAS 35 POUND TEST, I WOULD BACK-LASH ABOUT EVERY 3--4 TH CAST, BUT WHEN I GOT IT STRAIGHTEN OUT THERE WOULD BE A FISH ON THE PLUG. THEY WERE STILL CUTTING CEDAR TREES DOWN AT CEDAR KEY AND LOADING THEM ON A LITTLE NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD AND CARRIED SOME TO GAINESVILLE, ALSO LOADED THEM ON OLD PADDLE-WHEEL BOATS AND SHIPPED THEM OUT ON THE GULF. WE BOUGHT 200 POUNDS OF ICE AND LAYERED CHIPPED ICE BETWEEN THE LAYERS OF FISH. WE GUTTED ALL OF THE FISH AS WE PUT THEM ON ICE. I DO NOT REMEMBER HOW HUGH PRESERVED THE FISH BUT WE HAD FISH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. I DO REMEMBER SEEING SLABS OF FISH HANGING ON MA 'S CLOTHES LINE. AFTER THE FISH SEEMED TO BE CURED WE WOULD WRAP THEM UP IN WHAT LOOKED LIKE BURLAP CLOTHE AND LOWER THEM DOWN IN THE 3 WELLS WE HAD. BACK THEN YOU COULD BUY ANY VARIETY OF FISH YOU WANTED FROM ANY OF THE LITTLE FISH HOUSES IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE. I REMEMBER THE NAME OF ONE OF THOSE FISH HOUSES, IT WAS (ROLANDS FISH HOUSE). A FEW YEARS LATER I WENT WITH ROLAND OUT ON HIS SHRIMP BOAT, WE WERE OUT FOR 3 DAYS AND CAUGHT TONS OF FISH AND SHRIMP. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO SEE HOW FISHING HAS GONE DOWN, BUT I GUESS WHERE WE HAD HUGH'S LITTLE CYPRESS BOAT AND IT WAS THE ONLY BOAT THAT WAS ON THE WATER, I HAVE COUNTED OVER 500 BOATS ON THE EAST FLATS ON ONE DAY, IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG TO DEPLETE THE FISH POPULATION AND THEN ADD IN CONSIDERATION THE NUMBER OF TRAWLERS DRAGGING NETS 24 HRS. A DAY YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE FISH HAVE GONE. DARN, I HAVE SPOUTTED OFF TOO LONG AGAIN, FORGIVE ME.
PA
SEMPER FI

[spoton]

I think its tougher as well compared to 8-10 years ago. I believe one factor in this is that many former offshore fishermen now fish inshore mostly or altogether. I have several friends who have sold their offshore boats as they view it as just not worth the cost of these trips for the limits/seasons on target species such as snapper and grouper. Also a lot more inshore fishermen on the water as inexpensive kayaks have lowered the barrier of entry to the sport.

[DixieReb]

Don't apologize for running on, Pa. I enjoy your stories. How many of us have fished out of cypress boats or seen a paddlewheel steamer out on the flats? My Dad used to talk about fishing in the Aucilla out of a rented boat with a 3 HP motor and fishing with throw lines and lines wrapped around soda bottles. They used pork rind stained with a few spots of mercurochrome to make it look like a lure. Hardly anybody back then had reels, said he saw a few men using them. And they caught some fish. Things sure have changed a lot.

[homboyfsu]

I remember this and I am 61 years old. I seen people I know bring back several ice chests full of trout. More that they could eat in weeks and this has been in the last 10 to 20 years. We pay for what we do today and our children and grandchildren will pay even more.